Terms of reference (ToR) for
Market Assessment and Agriculture Value Chain Analysis
USAID’s Youth Empowerment for Social Cohesion (YESC) in Cox’s Bazar

 

About VSO

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is a not-for-profit international development organization delivering high impact development programs in 24 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. For over 60 years, VSO has provided technical assistance in education, health, livelihoods to host country governments, communities, and local nongovernmental organizations through a network of global staff and highly skilled specialized volunteers in over 90 countries. Our unique relational volunteering model provides the essential pre-conditions for systemic and sustainable change by fostering trust to create equitable, resilient and inclusive locally driven solutions. VSO’s approach promotes different relationship dynamics between volunteers and partners that empower the poorest and most marginalized people to actively lead in their own development.

VSO has been working in Bangladesh since 1974 to ensure that marginalized women and men in some of the poorest districts can participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the country’s economic and social development.

Background

Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh is facing a major humanitarian crisis following the influx of people of the Rohingya community after their mass exodus from Myanmar in August 2017. Recent studies have shown that tension between the host community and Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar is increasing. Key drivers of tension identified includes a perception that all support given by international agencies is going to the refugee population, the reduction of agricultural and fishing opportunities, an increase in resource prices, greater competition for jobs, particularly low paid laboring work, and the pressure put on government services by the substantial increase in the population in the area.

Recent assessment reports emphasize that the stress resulting from such a huge influx has created additional need for focus on the host communities. This project, therefore, aims at addressing the drivers of conflict with an integrated, multi-sector approach to addressing concerns of tension and social cohesion in the host community. The multi-sectoral approach offers a different modality to many interventions, ensuring a holistic response to the multi- faceted drivers of conflict and social cohesion.

The YESC project aligns with USAID’s policy on private sector engagement and supports the journey to self-reliance through engaging local private sector actors to work with community governance structures to ensure equitable access to the agricultural value chain. Overall, the project aligns with USAID’s Policy on Youth; which will be a key guiding instrument to ensure meaningful participation of youth in decision making process and enhancing social inclusion and cohesion in their communities.

Proposal Submission and Selection Process

Interested consultant(s) should e-mail technical proposal and financial proposal (professional fees and estimated direct costs) to the following e-mail address by 5:00 pm of 22 October 2020

Mahjabeen.iqbal@vsoint.org with copy to

Abu.Elias@vsoint.org  


The proposal should be a maximum of 10 pages (excluding Annex) and should include the following:

  • Understanding of the study; Detailed approach and methodology; Work plan, team formation and information about previous similar work experience in last five (5) years
  • Approach and Methodology including understanding of the study       
  • Team formation and Qualification of Proposed Key Expert(s)  
  • Relevant track record                                                                 
  • Work Plan                                                                                   
  • Personnel schedule
  • Covid-19 health measures
  • Detailed costing for the study
  • CV’s of the proposed team should be included as an annex to the proposal.

 

Click here to download the detail TOR